General Hydroponics System

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Terrestrial plants may be grown with their roots in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium, such as perlite, gravel, mineral wool, or coconut husk.

Researchers discovered in the 18th century that plants absorb essential mineral nutrients as inorganic ions in water. This farming technique is usually made up of a tank with various fish of your choice with existing grow beds used specifically for vegetable farming or production. It is also fitted to raise and grow some ornamental fish as well as some native fishes. This new farming techniques are really amazing because once the cycle starts, the water in the tank remains clean and clear and stays ph balanced all throughout. The water is being recycled and only very minimal amount is being added in order to replace the water that evaporated and was used by the vegetables.. When the mineral nutrients in the soil dissolve in water, plant roots are able to absorb them. When the required mineral nutrients are introduced into a plant’s water supply artificially, soil is no longer required for the plant to thrive. Almost any terrestrial plant will grow with hydroponics. Hydroponics is also a standard technique in biology research and teaching.

Advantages

Some of the reasons why hydroponics is being adapted around the world for food production are the following:

No soil is needed
The water stays in the system and can be reused – thus, lower water costs
It is possible to control the nutrition levels in their entirety – thus, lower nutrition costs
No nutrition pollution is released into the environment because of the controlled system
Stable and high yields

Pests and diseases are easier to get rid of than in soil because of the container’s mobility
It is easier to harvest

Today, hydroponics is an established branch of agronomy. Progress has been rapid, and results obtained in various countries have proved it to be thoroughly practical and to have very definite advantages over conventional methods of horticulture.
There are two chief merits of the soil-less cultivation of plants. First, hydroponics may potentially produce much higher crop yields. Also, hydroponics can be used in places where in-ground agriculture or gardening are not possible.

Disadvantages

Without soil as a buffer, any failure to the hydroponic system leads to rapid plant death. Other disadvantages include pathogen attacks such as damp-off due to Verticillium wilt caused by the high moisture levels associated with hydroponics and over watering of soil based plants. Also, many hydroponic plants require different fertilizers and containment systems.

The two main types of hydroponics are solution culture and medium culture. Solution culture does not use a solid medium for the roots, just the nutrient solution. The three main types of solution cultures are static solution culture, continuous-flow solution culture and aeroponics. The medium culture method has a solid medium for the roots and is named for the type of medium, e.g., sand culture, gravel culture, or rockwool culture.

There are two main variations for each medium, sub-irrigation and top irrigation. For all techniques, most hydroponic reservoirs are now built of plastic, but other materials have been used including concrete, glass, metal, vegetable solids, and wood. The containers should exclude light to prevent algae growth in the nutrient solution.

If you are wondering what aquaponics is, then you should know that it is a new farming technology which applies the process of symbiotic relationship between the fish and the plants. This is teamwork since the waste materials of the plants are being feed to the fish while at the same time the waste of the fish is used in fertilizing the plants and vegetables.

Aquaponics is an integrated aquaculture (growing fish) and hydroponic (growing soilless plants) system that mutually benefits both environments. Aquaponics uses no chemicals, requires one tenth or 10% ofuaculturthe water needed for field plant production and only a fraction of the water that is used for fish culture (Aqe).

This is the best system used nowadays and it is very remarkable due to the fact that the plants are the one responsible in making and supplying clean water for the fish which is very beneficial for its existence. On the other hand the fish is helping when it comes to giving proper nutrients to the plant beds or commonly known as Grow Beds.

How does this innovative and efficient system works?

If you think about what is aquaponics, then you have to regard this system as a single unit and not a separate one. * Aquaponics can enable the production of fresh vegetables and fish protein in arid regions and on water-limited farms, since it is a ‘water re-use’ system. In this cycle, the water coming from the fish is being used and is being fed to the plants such as potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbages, and carrots and so on. The fish water is being filtered by the sand and gravel or by the river stones and it is being pumped back to the fish tank by force. Therefore, the water is clean once again and is now ready to be used again by the fish. The cycle of this system will just continually go on giving mutual benefits to both the fish and the plants.

This farming technique is usually made up of a tank with various fish of your choice with existing grow beds used specifically for vegetable farming or production. It is also fitted to raise and grow some ornamental fish as well as some native fishes. This new farming techniques are really amazing because once the cycle starts, the water in the tank remains clean and clear and stays ph balanced all throughout. The water is being recycled and only very minimal amount is being added in order to replace the water that evaporated and was used by the vegetables.

The waste from fish tanks is treated with natural bacteria that converts the waste, largely ammonia, first to nitrite and then to nitrate. The fish waste absorbed by plants is pumped to a bio-filter system as a nutrient solution for the growing plants (Grow Bed). The only external input to the system is food for the fish. Both systems complement each other as a single unit, not as separate units.
Once the system is initialized the water stays Ph balanced and remains crystal clear. The water is recycled with a small amount of water added weekly to compensate for what is lost by evaporation and transpiration by the vegetables. Aquaponics is the future of home gardening and commercial fresh food production.

Greenhouse growers and farmers are taking note of Aquaponics for several reasons:

* Hydroponic growers view fish-manured irrigation water as a source of organic fertilizer that enables plants to grow well.
* Fish farmers view hydroponics as a bio-filtration method to facilitate intensive re-circulating aquaculture.
Disadvantages Without soil as a buffer, any failure to the hydroponic system leads to rapid plant death. Other disadvantages include pathogen attacks such as damp-off due to Verticillium wilt caused by the high moisture levels associated with hydroponics and over watering of soil based plants. Also, many hydroponic plants require different fertilizers and containment systems.
This is the best system used nowadays and it is very remarkable due to the fact that the plants are the one responsible in making and supplying clean water for the fish which is very beneficial for its existence. On the other hand the fish is helping when it comes to giving proper nutrients to the plant beds or commonly known as Grow Beds..
* Aquaponics can enable the production of fresh vegetables and fish protein in arid regions and on water-limited farms, since it is a ‘water re-use’ system.
* Aquaponics is a working model of sustainable food production wherein plant and animal agriculture are integrated and recycling of nutrients and water filtration are linked.
* In addition to commercial application, Aquaponics has become a popular training aid on integrated bio-systems with vocational agriculture programs and high school biology classes.

Learn What is Aquaponics and Help the Environment

This is basically a self-sustaining eco and environment friendly system that really works amazingly. The good news is, as long as you have this step by step guide, you will surely be able to create your own system and help the environment yourself.